People may not show visible symptoms
Eye tumors are also calledoculartumors.
An eye tumor can becancerousor noncancerous.
About 3,490 new eye cancers are estimated to be diagnosed in 2023.
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This article will go over the different types of eye tumors.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
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Cancerous Eye Tumors
Cancerous tumors are calledmalignanttumors.
Malignant eye tumors can be either primary or secondary.
A primary tumor is one that begins in the eye.
A secondary tumor is brought on by cancer that hasspread from one part of the body to another.
There are several types of cancers that can affect the eyes.
Orbital cancers affect the tissues around the eyeball.
Themusclesthat move the eyeball and the nerves attached to the eyeball can also be affected.
Cancer can also form in the eyelids and tear glands.
Cancers that affect these structures are calledadnexalcancers.
Primary Eye Tumors
Primary eye tumors are rare.
In adults, the most common bang out isocular melanoma.This tumor is also calleduvealmelanomaorchoroidalmelanoma.
Malignant melanomas usually form fromsimple moles.
That’s why it’s important to check moles often for changes.
If you have a mole in or near your eye, have it examined regularly.
Ocular melanomas form from cells in the eye that give them color.
These are called pigmented cells.
This means the cancer originated in another area of the body and spread to the eye.
Secondary eye tumors are most often found in the choroid.
In women, they most commonly originate as breast cancer.
Not all eye tumors are cancerous, however.
Choroidal hemangiomais the most common jot down of noncancerous eye tumor.
These tumors are made up of blood vessels.They can cause eye redness orvision changes.
Benign tumors can also grow in the skin around the eye or on the eyelid.
Benign eye tumors may also show up on the conjunctiva.
Benign, pigmented lesions can grow on the inner part of the eye.
These are calledchoroidal nevi.
Because they grow inside the eye, they can usually only be seen using special equipment.
These growths are a bunch of pigmented cells that look dark.
Having one or two CHRPE lesions is usually not concerning.
FAP is sparked by a mutation in a gene that usually suppresses tumors.
People with FAP will also develop large numbers of polyps in the large intestine.
These polyps are at high risk for developing intocolorectal cancer.
How Serious Are Eye Tumors?
Eye Tumor Symptoms
Like skinmoles, eye moles form when certain cells grow together in a group.
At first, you may see an abnormal brown spot on or in your eye.
This is called a nevus.
These moles usually form on the choroid, iris, or conjunctiva of the eye.
An eye tumor may look like a dark spot on the colored part of your eye called the iris.
If you notice a spot in your eye, tell your healthcare provider.
Eye tumors don’t always have symptoms.
Detecting cancer early means you’ll have more treatment options.
That said, not all cancers of the eye can be found early.
What Causes Eye Tumors?
Eye tumors can have different causes.
The causes of eye tumors that are not cancerous are different from those that are.
These changes are called mutations.
The DNA in a cell has a set of instructions that tell the cell what functions to perform.
It also tells it how to grow and divide.
If there are errors in the instructions, the cell may not function right.
When this happens, the cell can become cancerous.
Several factors contribute togenetic mutations.
These include inherited gene mutations and gene mutations that happen after birth.
You might be born with a genetic mutation.
Some mutations are passed down through families.
An inherited mutation only causes a small number of eyecancers.
Most gene mutations occur after you’re born.
Other risk factors can be reduced, like exposure to ultraviolet rays.
Age and Race
Primary intraocular melanoma usually happens to peopleover the age of 50.
The average age that a person is diagnosed is 55.
This throw in of eye cancer is rare in children and people older than 70.
Primary intraocular melanoma is more common in white people than Black people.
Men and women are equally affected by this throw in of eye cancer.
It usually happens because of a gene mutation.
It is resulting from a genetic mutation.
and starts in the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye.This part is called theretina.
The retinal nerve cells begin to grow and multiply.
They usually spread into the eye and possibly to other parts of the body.
If caught early, these childhood eye tumors may be curable.
In fact, nine out of 10 children with retinoblastoma will be cancer free five years after treatment.
Also, tell them if you ever see an unusual mole or skin growth around your eye.
Diagnosis
Eye tumors are often found by anoptometrist.
Anophthalmologistcan usually tell the difference between tumors that are cancer and those that are not.
An expert called apathologistcan look at the sample of your skin and tell if it has cancer.
They will send a report to your provider explaining what they find.
Eye care providerscan also take a digital picture of the growth in your eye.
This allows them to watch it closely to see if it changes over time.
Sometimes, eye care providers will do an ultrasound of the tumor.
This can help them tell certain things about the growth, like how solid it is.
This information can help them tell whether a growth might be cancer or not.
Benign growths inside the eye usually have easy-to-see edges called margins.
They are typically flat or slightly raised.
Malignant growths tend to have irregular shapes and color changes.
They may also havefluidon top of them.
Treatment
The treatment for an eye tumor will depend on whether it is cancerous or not.
Benign growths that are on the outside of the eye can be taken off surgically.
Some can be removed with chemicals or burning (calledcauterization).
If freckles and growths inside the eye are benign, they are usually left alone.
Eye Cancer
The goal of treating eye cancer is to make it less likely to spread.
It’s also important to maintain your vision, if possible.
People with eye cancer are often treated by several doctors who use different treatments.
This is called a multidisciplinary approach.
Your treatment team will take a stab at store your vision whenever possible.
If the growth is benign, your healthcare provider might remove it.
They might also leave it alone and just check it regularly to double-check it doesn’t change.
Your oncology team will make every effort to preserve your vision.
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